Please give me the origins/meaning of the German surname Luschen.  I was told
that lusche means a low card, i.e. one that you would discard on a
winning hand.  Apparently this is now slang, like a loser or slacker,
but with a fairly good connotation - more like "dude".  Is this the
meaning of the name Luschen?  I was told growing up that it meant
"sleepy person".  My ancestors are from Hamburg if that is any help.

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Request for Question Clarification by scriptor-ga on 22 Feb 2004 08:36 PST

This is fascinating question because I am located in North Germany,
not far from Hamburg. I will do research in the library on Monday, and
if I find out something useful, I will write an answer.

Regards,
Scriptor

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Clarification of Question by tjl-ga on 22 Feb 2004 12:05 PST

Thanks,  I think it is a fairly rare name - there are only a few
hundred Luschens in the US, but my father saw several in the Hamburg
phone book when he visited 10 or 15 years ago.

Dear tjl,

I consulted various books dealing with the etymology of German family
names, and the result is surprising, at least to me.

The North German name "Luschen" is related to the similar "Lüschen",
"Lüscher" and "Lüsch". All these names derive from the Low German term
"Lüsch", which means "Riedgras" (="sedge").

"Lüsch" is defined as meager, worthless grass that was only in times
of need used as fodder; normally, it was just good for covering floors
or filling mattresses. It is a very old term that can be traced back
to old Middle High German "liesche", and to "lêsch", an old Middle Low
German vernacular variant from the North German cities of Hamburg and
Rostock. In the latter regions, the modern Low German form of the word
is "Leesch". In Dutch, which is closely related to Low German, the
modern word for sedge is "lisch".

"Liesch" was also the term for a wettish site, covered with sedge.
Accordingly, a "Lüschen" was either a person dwelling near such a
site, or someone who cut and gathered sedge. So that is what your
family name means!

Now, what about the modern use of "Lusche" as a (rather humorous) name
for "duffer", "slowpoke", "bungler"? Actually, it has nothing to do
with the grass mentioned above. It has a completely different
etymology. Its origins can be traced back to a Slavonic word in the
East German Lausitz  (Lusatia) region. Originally standing for
"she-dog in heat", it later changed its meaning to "bitch", or
"cooch", with a growing emphasis on worthlessness. Finally, the word
found its way into the card-game Skat, where a worthless card that
does not count for points is called "Lusche" (plural: "Luschen"). Now,
a "Lusche" is not only a lame card, but also a lame person. However,
it is not the origin of the family name "Luschen".


Sources:

Hans Bahlow: Deutsches Namenslexikon. Keysersche Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1967

Prof. Josef Karlmann Brechenmacher: Etymologisches Wörterbuch der
deutschen Familiennamen, Band 2. C.A. Starke Verlag, 1957


I hope this answers your question!
Regards,
Scriptor

Great answer - thanks for the quick response.  I'll have to share your
findings with all the other losers, ...err Luschens!

Here is a helpful page, for Scriptor or anyone else who wants to work
on an answer.  If a Researcher such as Scriptor thinks that this is
the best information available, I would be happy to use it as the
basis for answer.

"Forschungsgebiete"
Lüschen Homepage
http://www.lueschen.multiservers.com/d/421index.htm  

The short answer is the end of the page, which translates as: "The Low
German name Lüschen probably developed from the High German name
Ludwig and means approximately: 'He who loves battle and glory'. 
Also, the top of the page indicates the homeland for this family is in
Northwest Germany.

Regardless of the answer, you might want to contact the webmaster, who
is named Lüschen and is interested in e-mails from other people with
related surnames such as Luschen.

"Gesucht: Lüschen in aller Welt" (Sought: Lüschens Throughout the World)
Lüschen Homepage
http://www.lueschen.multiservers.com/d/422index.htm

A small typo: there should be an ending double quotation mark after
the word "glory".

Explanation of the related name of "Hasenlust":

http://www.ndr2.de/onair/vormittag/namensforscher.html

This explanation is actually identical to the one given by Scriptor.